When growing a number of different types of plants, but particularly for growing tomatoes outdoors, it is desirable to provide a "cage" for the plant to facilitate proper growth of the plant, and access to desirable parts thereof. For instance when tomatoes grow in association with a cage, the fruit is kept off the ground so that it does not rot, and so that it is readily accessible.
It is desirable to be able to provide a tomato cage, or like plant supporting structure, which has a minimum of parts, and can be assembled quickly, yet when it is disassembled can store in a minimum of space. Most commonly used tomato cages either do not have a low volume configuration for storage, contain a number of different types of component parts, or are relatively difficult to assemble.
According to the present invention, a plant supporting structure is provided which can be quickly assembled either with no tools, or with only a pair of pliers, can equally easily be disassembled, and can be stored in a low volume configuration. The component parts of the structure according to the invention also are simple and easy to construct, and there are a minimum number of different types of parts, further facilitating ease of construction and use.
An exemplary plant supporting structure according to the present invention comprises: a plurality of vertical supports disposed at the corners of an imaginary polygon; a plurality of substantially identically shaped first rods, each having first and second free ends thereof, the second end of each rod shaped to engage another rod; and means defining a plurality of apertures in each of the supports, each aperture for receipt of a first end of a first rod, the apertures being spaced from each other; the first rods extending between the supports to form a cage.
In a first embodiment of the structure according to the invention, the structure consists of the above-recited elements. The apertures of each post are vertically spaced from the apertures of adjacent posts so that the rods, when engaging an aperture with a first end thereof and engaging another rod at a second end thereof, extend at an angle .alpha. significantly greater than 0.degree., with respect to the horizontal. The angle .alpha. preferably is in the range of about 5.degree.-10.degree. (e.g. 7.5.degree.), and may be formed either by bending the first end of the rods so that each makes the angle .alpha., or by forming the apertures in the supports so that they make the angle .alpha., or by a combination of bending and angular drilling. The supports may be wooden posts, or metal posts which have at least two sides making a 90.degree. angle with respect to each other (e.g. aluminum or steel angle iron, steel channel, or square tubing).
According to another embodiment of the structure according to the invention, there are also provided a plurality of second rods, and a plurality of keeper washers. For each level of rods extending between the support posts, one rod is a second rod, while the others are first rods. The second rod has a first end for engaging a support aperture, just like for the first rods, but the second end is generally straight, and substantially perpendicular to a straight middle portion of the second rod. The middle portion of one of the first rods extends through the central opening of a keeper washer, and one assembling a cage, using a pliers, bends the second end of the second rod so that it also extends through the central opening of the keeper washer, and is held in place thereby.
It is particularly advantageous to provide four support posts, disposed at the corners of a square, with one of the support posts being longer than the other three. The longer support post has a pointed first end adapting it to be driven into the ground, and has indicia at a predetermined spaced point from the first end, the indicia being provided so that the length of the longer support from the indicia to the second end thereof, opposite the pointed end, is the same as the length of each of the other three posts. In that way one support can be driven into the ground a predetermined distance while the other three supports rest on the ground.
The invention also contemplates the methods of utilization of the two embodiments of structures according to the present invention, to assemble an operable and desirable plant supporting structure.
It is the primary object of the present invention to provide a simple yet effective plant supporting structure which may be easily assembled and disassembled, and stored in a low volume configuration. This and other objects of the invention will become clear from an inspection of the detailed description of the invention, and from the appended claims.